Marika Sardarhasextens-
ivelystudiedthefortifica-
tions of Golconda
(“Golconda Through
Time: A Mirror of the
EvolvingDeccan”,unpub-
lishedPhDthesis,2007).
The book under review
adds tothis burgeoning
bibliography on the art
and architecture of the
Deccansultanates.
In his prefatory
chapter,Sohonimakes a
forcefulcasefortheinde-
pendentstudyof theDec-
can,whichhada distinct
identity from“Hindustan”,
or northern India,formost
of thepast. Hewrites:“The
deepconnections ofthe
Deccanwith West Asia,
completelyindependentof
Northern India, along
withtheautonomouscul-
turalandhistorical devel-
opments in thesouthhave
shapedthe Deccan very
uniquely.Detailedstudies
ofthepolitiesoftheDec-
can,therefore,of architec-
tureandstatecraft,needto
beundertakeninorderto
explainhow,inmoments
of disengagementwiththe
north,uniqueformations
werecreatedindependent
ofdevelopments inNorth
India.”
Thisdisconnectedness
fromnorthIndialedto the
emergenceof a distinctive
architecture astheNizam
Shahis developed their
ownstyle.Sohoni’sargu-
mentis thatthe“...archi-
tectureof theNizamShahs
doesnotfollow a linearde-
velopmentfromitsPersian
originsto thecreation of a
regionalstyle.Thebuild-
ings are variously of
broadlyPersianate andIn-
dic characteristics, at
times both, but to call
themderivativeis unfair,
as the kingdom of the
NizamShahswastryingto
createa newarchitectural
language as a regional
claim.”
Thisstudyofarchitec-
ture and the politics of
Ahmednagar also leads
Sohoni to argue ingeni-
ously that the Deccani
kingdoms sawthemselves
as“regionalists”whowere
resistingthe“Hindustani”
expansion led by the
Mughals. Thisis aninter-
estingperspectiveof medi-
evalIndia.
Thus, theDeccanking-
doms wereresisting the
culturalexpressionsof the
northbyforging linkswith
Persianate lands, which
ledtoautonomousarchi-
tectural representations.
Chaul, Dabhol, Bhatkal
andGoaweretheprincipal
portsthroughwhichcon-
nections with the wider
Persianate world were
forgedindependently,by-
passing north India. In
theirarchitectureandin
otheraspectssuchas coin-
age,literatureandpaint-
ing, the Deccan sultans
intendedtobolster theirindependent claims as
Deccanpotentates.Atthe
time, the Deccan wasa
multi-ethnicsocietywith
strong and independent
connections to Persia.
Therewasalsoa great
dealof cultural interaction
andchurning in theregion
involvingethnicitiesasdi-
verse as African, Arab,
CentralAsianandSouth
Asian. Thus, Sohoni
providesampleevidenceto
backhisargumentthatthe
Deccanhastobestudied
independently from
“Hindustan”.
Sohoni’s intervention
is valuableforthemuch-
needednuanceit provides
to thestoryof medievalIn-
dia.Inthereductivena-
tionalist and colonialist
versions of the time,
Muslimrulersareseenas
invaders“...upsettingindi-
genouspracticesuntilthe
‘Hindurevival’underthe
Marathas in the seven-
teenth centurywhichis a
simplisticandnaive model
of regional history”.Through Sohoni’s work,
we see that the Nizam
Shahi’s forbears were
Brahminswhoconverted
to Islam. Sohonigoesonto
demonstrate, throughhis
closereadingofvisualar-
chitecture,thattheNizam
Shahistate“...formedthe
basis of the nascent
Maratha state that
emerged in themid-seven-
teenthcentury underShiv-
ajiBhonsale”.
Sohonidelineates his
methodofstudyingarchi-
tecture: “Inthisbook,art-
historical methods of
visual inspection and
formalanalysis,alongwith
documentation of archi-
tectureandconstruction,
expandonearlierattempts
to overcomethelimitedin-
terpretations of previous
text-based histories.”His
bookhasa detailedhistori-
ographical note on the
Nizam Shahis combined
withthestudyof otheras-
pects,such astheroleof
guilds and the material
usedinbuildingsoftheBAGHRAUZA(c. 1509),the tombof the founderof the dynasty,AhmedNizam Shah I.BYSPECIALARRANGEMENT